New Shoes, New Views

Over the Thanksgiving break, I reawakened the reader in me.


Yes, I still love shoes.

I picked up this pair of gray suede boots at a great Black Friday sale, in fact.

But I have always loved books even more. Thanks to some "tweechers" and a new club I've 'joined', (The Nerdy Book Club), I have been reading more than ever. Through their eyes, I have seen how much I owe it to myself to read. I have come to see (again), how precious books are, and how much they have always meant in my life. I notice I am reading with more intent. I am reading to finish books because the story is so compelling. I am reading to be a better teacher. And, I am reading to be a better writer.

As a writer, I thought my only avenues for writing were online articles and newsletter pieces. (I have managed throughout the past couple of years to have a few things published.) When I took part in National Writing Project this past summer, I was working on my writing every day and creating pieces I didn't know I had in me! Essays and poems galore! Miraculously! Gloriously! (It's amazing what you an accomplish in the right environment with encouragement.)

But teaching elementary school has a funny way of keeping you really busy--and nurturing my own writing ability has not been on my priority list. Yes,  I write in class in my own writer's notebook with my students every day (I must model), but those pieces remained in my notebook.  I hadn't done anything with my own work because I'd been focusing completely on my students' writing. As a class, we have been working on NaNoWriMo YWP, a classroom blog, and some web 2.0 projects.

But what I've discovered -- nestled deeply under piles of lesson plans, stacks of graded papers, empy Sonic diet Coke cups, and tons of to-do lists---is my own need to write. In my back-to-school zeal, I started this second blog but hadn't done very much with it. 

I know its purpose now.  "Teaching in Cute Shoes" will be a place for ME to write. It will be a place for me to talk about books. And, ultimately, it will be a place for me to connect my own reading and writing to my teaching. Everything in my life is connected to that in some way. 

So now, I will not only show pictures of my shoes, but I will also share the books I am reading.

I know this is a really different kind of blog, and I'm not sure if it is possible. I am willing to find out! Even if I am its only reader. 

Here's my first book stack picture.  I can hardly wait to dive on in---all the while wearing a pair of cute shoes. 

Mrs. Alaniz